Toothpick holder and vending machine.



G. S. WOODS.

TOOTHPIGK HOLDER AND VENDING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED FEB.20, 1914. 1 1 22,456.

Patented Dec. 29, 1914.

THE NORRI; PE'""" PHOTO-LITHQ, WASHINGTON. n

CLARENCE S. WOODS, 0F

DETROIT, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR OF-ONE-I-IALF TO ELLSWORTH FORSYTH, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

TOOTHPICK HOLDER AND VENDING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed. February 20, 1914. Serial No. 819,860..

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CLARENCE S. Woons, a citizen of the United States of- America, residing at Detroit, in the county of Wayne and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Toothpick Holders and Vending Machines, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to a tooth pick holder and container, and the primary object of my invention is to provide a holder that can be advantageously used in cafs, dining rooms and cars for delivering tooth picks that are inclosed so as to keep them in a sanitary state, from exposure to dust and from being handled.

Another object of this invention is to provide a simple, durable and inexpensivedevice for effecting single delivery of tooth picks, matches, etc., to individual users, the device being primarily designed as a tooth pick dispensing machine having av novel delivery member that permitsof an incased tooth pick being easily removed without any danger of the same being broken.

A further object of this invention is to provide a tooth pick container that can be used in connection with a suitable repository, the retainer being in the form of envelops connected by weakened tearing portions, which permit of the container being rolled or folded and envelops singly removed from the end of the outer convolution or fold of the container.

\Vith the above and other objects in view,

the .invention resides in the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter specifically described and then claimed.

Reference will now be had to the drawing, wherein Figure 1 is a perspective view of the tooth pick holder; Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same partly broken away and partly in section; Fig. 3 is a plan of the holder partly broken away and with the lid or cover thereof removed; Fig. 4 is the enlarged perspective view of a tooth pick container partially opened, and Fig. 5 is a cross sectional view of the holder taken on or about the line VV of Fig. 1.

A holder in accordance with this invention comprises a substantial base'or pedestal 1 having the upper end thereof provided with a socket 2 to receive the dependingv stem 3 of a cylindrical horizontally disposed casing 4. The top of the casing 4 has an opening 5 normally closed by a lid or cover 6 which rests upon the edges of the end walls 7 of said casing and is flush with the the lid or cover 6 has depending guide lugs 8 engaging the inner sides of the end walls 7 to prevent longitudinal displacement of positioning the lid or cover upon the casing.

The stem 3 of the casing serves as a swivel therefor whereby the casing can be swung to a desired position to permit of; access being had to the front side of the casing, which is provided with a. fiat radially disposed delivery case or member 10. The delivery case or member 10 provides a lateral delivery slot or opening 11 in communication with the interior of the casing 4. The case or member 10 has an outer Wall 12, which has one end thereof cut away, as at 13, at an opening 14 in the bottom wall 15 of thecase or member 10. The opening in the bottom wall 15 is at one side of the case or member I and said bottom wall has another opening 16 Patented nee'zo, 1914.

' side walls of said casing. The inner side of the lid or cover, and the front edge of said lid orjcover has the inner side thereof pro vlded'wlth a lip 9 that facilitates properly with the openings 14 and 18, said finger recesses being designated 19 and cooperating with the openings 14 and 18 in exposing a portion of'a tooth pick container whereby the same can be easily removed from the case or member 10.

Loosely arranged within the casing 4 is a roll or folded strip of containers 20, each connected by a weakened tearing portion 21. The weakened tearing portions 21 are equally spaced and are formed by providing the longitudinal edges of the strip of containers with parallel slits that extend inioo wardly to the ends of parallel rolls of perforations, the slits being designated 22 and the perforations 23, as best illustrated in Fig. 3 of the drawing. The container may be made up in various ways, for instance, by folding a strip of paper longitudinally of its length, placing tooth picks between the folds, an adhesive between the tooth picks, pressing the folds together until they adhere, and then slitting and perforating the strip, thus connecting the containers in a manner that insures suflicient flexibility for the strip to be drawn through the case or member 10 and the containers singly torn and removed therefrom. The end of the container strip can be easily inserted in the case or member 10 whereby the end of the strip will be exposed at the outer end of the case or member, and the width of the open ings 14. and 18 correspond to the width of a single container, whereby the container will lie between the openings 14 and 18 and eX-. tend over the opening 16 in the bottom plate 15 of the case or member 10. The weakened tearing portions of the strip of containers registers with the inner walls of the open ings 14, 16 and 18, and the outer container can be easily gripped and torn from the strip and removed. The inner edge of the opening 18 and the inner edge of the opening 16 serve as cutting edges when a container is torn or removed from the strip, said openings providing clearance for the container whereby a tilting movement of the container severs the same and permits of its removal. The finger recesses 19 permit of the end of the strip being gripped and drawn forward whereby the neXt container can be torn and removed.

A container or envelop maintains the tooth pick in a sanitary condition and the design of the same is such that it can be readily used for advertisement purposes,also

for dispensing other articles. The shape of the holder casing is really immaterial but the construction of the outer end of the case or member 10 is essential in order that only one container can be removed at a time without any danger of the same being unduly torn or the contents thereof broken or inj ured.

'While in the drawing there is illustrated a preferred embodiment of my invention, it is to be understood that the structural elements are susceptible to such changes, as in the size, proportion and manner of assem blage, as fall within the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. A holder comprising a casing adapted to contain a strip of rigid containers, and a member in communication with said casing and having the outer end thereof provided with openings whereby a container can be tilted to project an end through each opening and permit of the removal of said container from said member.

2. A holder comprising a swiveled casing adapted to contain a strip of rigid containers, a member forming part of said casing and having the end thereof cut away to expose a container whereby it can be tilted to project the ends of a container above and below the member and permit of its removal therefrom.

3. A holder comprising a casing adapted to contain a strip of rigid'containers, and a member in communication with said casing and adapted to receive the end of the strip of containers, said member having the outer end thereof provided with openings to eX- pose the end of the strip of containers whereby the ends of a container can be projected above and below the member to permit of its removal therefrom.

4-. A holder of the type described, comprising a casing adapted-to contain a strip of rigid containers, a lateral member carried thereby and provided with an opening in communication with said casing, said memher having the top and bottom walls thereof cut away at its outer end to expose an end of the strip at the end of said member and permit of the ends of the container being projected above and below said member and removed therefrom.

5. A tooth pick holder comprising a member adapted to contain tooth picks, said member having the top and bottom walls thereof provided with openings whereby a toothpick can be tilted to project ends thereof through the openings and permit of the removal of said toothpicks from said memher.

In testimony whereof I afliX my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CLARENCE S. WOODS.

Witnesses:

ANNA M. Donn, KANE H. BUTLER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

